When protective clothing is no longer just about durability but must also solve heat stress and environmental concerns, the technology race in safety protective textiles has entered a new phase. At the 19th China International Exhibition of Industrial Textiles and Nonwovens (CINTE26), which concluded on September 2, a team of experts from Donghua University and the Shanghai Fire Research Institute visited companies such as Tayho, Yihu, and Zhongwei, signaling that industry competition is shifting from single-function performance to a systemic contest involving materials, standards, and application scenarios.
Exhibition Highlights: Three Major Technology Directions
The most prominent change at this exhibition was the reconciliation of protection and comfort. Beijing Bangwei's Nano-Com high-permeability electrospun nanofiber membrane composite demonstrated a balance between barrier and moisture permeability through a visual breathability test, directly addressing the discomfort of heat retention in protective clothing. This implies that buyers should now consider moisture vapor transmission rate as equally important as tensile strength when evaluating protective fabrics.
Green recycling technologies also took center stage. Tayho showcased its recycled aramid technology and a T2T textile closed-loop system that converts waste aramid and polyester-cotton blends into new fibers, extending to zero-carbon polyester products. Behind this is the rigid demand from downstream brands for carbon footprint reduction—protective clothing exported to the EU without meeting circularity requirements will face green trade barriers.
The seeds of intelligence are visible both in manufacturing and end products. Zhongfang's path of converting military technology to civilian use and Baoding Sanyuan's development of a 1000kV UHV live-line shielding suit indicate that protective equipment is evolving from passive isolation to active sensing. The expert team judged that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the industry has formed three distinct characteristics—functionalization, greenization, and intelligentization—which are now accelerating their convergence.
Industry Impact: Segmented Tracks Diverge, Standards Become the Game Changer
Judging from the exhibits, safety protective textiles are rapidly segmenting by application scenario. In automotive safety, Zhongwei Chemical Fiber, as the first domestic enterprise to master nylon 66 airbag yarn production, is now supplying downstream vehicle manufacturers in volume, indicating that the substitution of domestic fibers in high-end automotive safety components is accelerating. In firefighting and industrial protection, Shaanxi Yuanfeng's arc-rated suits meeting Sinopec's new standards, and Shanghai Ibena's high-performance aluminum-film composite insulation materials developed with the Shanghai Fire Research Institute, all point to more stringent industry standards.
For upstream fiber producers, this presents both opportunities and challenges. Yihu's application of rare-earth functional materials to antibacterial textiles, along with its cooling vests and nuclear-biological-chemical emergency suits, demonstrates a systematic layout in special occupational protection. However, experts caution that protective clothing must improve thermal-wet comfort while meeting safety performance, pushing toward lightweight, comfortable, and multifunctional upgrades. Traditional fabrics that rely solely on thickness will gradually lose orders.
Notably, the expert team emphasized that new material development must be coordinated with application standards and operational specifications. Current national and industry standards for arc-rated suits and anti-static clothing are still rapidly evolving. Companies that focus solely on product development while neglecting participation in standard-setting may find themselves blocked by technical barriers in procurement bidding. For exporters, aligning with ISO and EN international standards is equally critical to avoid returns or soaring certification costs due to standard discrepancies.